It's a cliché, it's cheesey, it's in many ways arbitrary. Generally I don't really do new year's resolutions, partly because I have tended not to keep them in the past and don't like to set myself up for failure if I can at all help it,and partly because everyone else is doing it and I'ma big contrarian at heart.
Last year I decided to give up smoking. It took me all year to get it right, but by December 31st I was there.
This year so far i've not exactly resolved anything, at least nothing specific, measurable, achievable, or whatever the R and T in SMART are supposed to stand for.
But i crazily got it intomy head that it would be nice to start the new year with a tidy house. This was a mostly unilateral decision, but to his credit the Jelfs has got behind it to the extent that he got out of my way when I was bustling and didn't call me away at all to act as extra hands when he as playing with the buggy. We were away for Christmas, got home on the 27th and spent two days making last minute preparations for the second Christmas with my family which started on the 29th and ran til the afternoon of the 1st. Then when we got back there was some very urgent sitting about to do, then I went back to work, and then it was this weekend. So starting the year with a tidy house had to wait, but has now more or less been achieved. we've cleared a massive backlog of laundry that had accumulated around the laundry bin, found the kitchen table under a pile of post and engine parts, taken down and stashed away Christmas in all its tinsely twinkly glory. Now we can see the vast majority of floors and surfaces in all rooms and in most places turn round without knocking anything over. It's like living in a different house and I love it.
In going through all the laundry, and after a little wistful gazing through the window of Hobbs I decided that there was no point owning smart clothes and never wearing them. the rationale of saving them for something more special than everyday was revealed to me as folly. So I have imprecisely not quite resolved to dress for the job I want not the job I have. The first week back (though admittedly only three working days long) was a success. But we'll see, as I made a similar sort of vague determination last year and it fell by the wayside quite quickly because of my general conviction that performance is more important than appearance and my aching dislike of spending any time fussing with non essentials of a morning.
the third prong (it's only a four prong plan, so you're nearly there), has so far been a total wash out, and that was supposed to be to get back into the habit of going to the gym of a monday, wednesday and friday morning. Though in my defence the gym would have been clogged with other people desperately trying to be good. Next week many of them will already have given up, so it should be nice and quiet again
The fourth and final prong is to be more creative and practical. We've just taken delivery of a wreck of a 1972 beetle which will require a heap of welding and other chicanery. so I shall learn to fix cars. And I've already nearly finished the cross stitch picture for my niece's birthday and am starting to think of something for my aunt. And I'm trying to sort out starting an ILEX post graduate diploma course to further my legal qualification in pursuit of my much spoken about but little pursued dream of working in human rights law.
What about you all? what do you want to do this year?
Intolerance will not be tolerated.
Rae Mond said:
The fourth and final prong is to be more creative and practical. We've just taken delivery of a wreck of a 1972 beetle which will require a heap of welding and other chicanery. so I shall learn to fix cars. And I've already nearly finished the cross stitch picture for my niece's birthday and am starting to think of something for my aunt. And I'm trying to sort out starting an ILEX post graduate diploma course to further my legal qualification in pursuit of my much spoken about but little pursued dream of working in human rights law.
What about you all? what do you want to do this year?
I'd love to be able to repair cars like that. The most I've ever done is change oil or spark plugs. Good luck with all of that.
Last year's resolution was to cook something new every week. This year I haven't set any resolutions as such. I'll continue to try new recipes, and use the wii fit to make sure they don't cause too much weight gain.
Since I enjoy photography but don't get chance to take many photos at the moment, I should set myself some 'projects'. When I was a member of a photographic society, they used to have themed competitions - one of the best was Cheshire Churches (which was local for me at the time) and it caused me to go out and explore the local area. I will try to do more local exploration this year.
Visit my blog for food, drink, photography and hamsters.
Phew Rae - after reading all that, I just want to sit down with a cup of tea!
Like you, I "don't do" New Year resolutions, but I've signed up for a (free) 12 week 'Brush Up Your Maths' course at my local library. I really struggled with maths at school and therefore hated it; I'm hoping that 'cos I'm choosing to do it this time, I'll enjoy it more and therefore be better at it. Also, I understand that maths is taught differently these days, so maybe I'll get the hang of it better. It's not the basic numeracy stuff that fells me - more the algebra and equations stuff. I'd really like to be able to understand it, for once in my life. I was great at the mental arithmetic stuff in junior school, though - we had to learn all our 'Times Tables' from 1 x 1 to 12 x 12 by chanting them every day, and I loved that - like learning poems.
I've also been signed up for some bee-keeping training 'down on the farm'. I'm terrified at the thought as I've never been stung (yet!). (I've been itching to include that!)
Gone crazy. Back soon.
bobquail said:
Since I enjoy photography but don't get chance to take many photos at the moment, I should set myself some 'projects'. When I was a member of a photographic society, they used to have themed competitions - one of the best was Cheshire Churches (which was local for me at the time) and it caused me to go out and explore the local area. I will try to do more local exploration this year.
OOOO could we start a CSH photographical society?
That would be good. I'd join. We could have a monthly theme, not necessarily a competition.
OOOOOO can we, can we? (does silly little excited dance involving arrhythmic clapping and jumping)
Intolerance will not be tolerated.
Heather you are very brave doing that Maths course, I would be totally scared. I'd be scared on the bee-keeping one too, but only because I'm allergic to Honeybee stings.
Rae, I sense your excitement over a photographic society but I think we might overload the system here. Why don't we start a group on Flickr? What do you say?
And well done for stopping smoking, I can safely claim the same thing now.
I'll try that again!
Rae, if I can set up my own Flickr account, all by myself, with no-one else in the house, then I'm sure you can. I'll have a look in a while to see how easy it is to set up a group; I know that there are lots.
Can't do it right now, I'm having to concentrate on FB as well since I'm chatting to my oldest friend who still lives in Wales¦
Just a quickie, what sort of group do we want? See choices here.
I'll try that again!
Flikr must be easy, as I managed it - admittedly not quite at the first attempt.....
Great idea.
What are my non-resolution resolutions?
Not to get discouraged and carry on building up my little business.
Try to become smaller.
Paint more.
Learn to crochet.
Start to learn to make hats from scratch.
A flikr group would be fun- especially if we set ourselves themes, it would be great to see all the different results...oooh please lets!
Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/
okays, made me a flickr account, but I've hidden it from most of the world so only my contacts can see it. I think.
Now I may attempt to make a group! I made a group! But I made it invite only. should I make it public? or dofolkwho want tojoin want to pm me their username and i'll invite them?
Intolerance will not be tolerated.
Good stuff, Rae. Thanks for setting it up. It's good to spread admin responsibility to other forumites of long standing, I think, if you are up for it.
Ideally, can we make it so that anybody can view it but only registered members to whom you have granted access can post to it?
I have never used Flickr but I think this is a great idea and worthy of its own thread.
PS:
The moment I saw this thread title on my long list on unread threads, I knew immediately that it was a Great Rae Mondo special
Never knowingly underfed
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